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Monofin Purchase advice

Thread Status: Hello , There was no answer in this thread for more than 60 days.
It can take a long time to get an up-to-date response or contact with relevant users.
welljim said:
400EUR ($560) for a non-carbon fiber fin, is that normal? I'm guessing it's not c/f, the blade looks yellow in the sample picture I received.
Click to expand...

Don't forget about the shipping charges, and I suppose there could be duties to pay also. Anyone have experience to know if there are duties on Starfins shipping from where they are made into Canada?
 
Generally speaking I'd favour going with a fin or manufacturer that uses standard sizing. That way, even if the fin is the wrong size you have some idea where you stand and you can order a size up/down the next time. I've had 3 fins fully custom made (hyperfins, leaderfins, starfins) and despite sending accurate measurements and requirements all have, in various ways, been significantly off target. Every manufacturer has a different idea of what 'stiff' is and even, it seems, what centimeters and degrees are. While I think Starfins are well made and that Alex tries very hard to get them right (Chrismar's one is good), the one I got was unusable and therefore an expensive mistake. By contrast, waterway have a standard sizing system and while I had one fin that was a little bit too big, the others have been good. I know where I stand with the stiffness scale too - even if Bogdan does call me a little girl when I ask for a #1 blade.

It's not just me being miserably unlucky with custom fins either - somebody I train with ordered a 'soft' Triton fin and sent a photocopy of his foot next to a ruler. It arrived several sizes too small and unbelievably stiff. Will T. ordered a Hyperfin (I think) and it arrived with footpockets "too large for any human".

Hyper style fins are great and if you happen to get a good one it'd make a good first fin. I'm just not sure the risk of a custom fin is something that's worthwhile for somebody who doesn't really need one.

And yeah, no point going with carbon. Fibreglass is absolutely fine.
 
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i had your similar question some years ago!
finally i choose the specialfin branded monofin
Specialfins Gallery
it costed me 400E but worth all th money
it is a very light [not heavy] monofin with medium stiff blade with the advantage of no-hurting legs in the footpocket
 
and about freediving in diferrent location:
i love diving in greece!!!!
but wayt and see the red sea :X:X:X
 
Mullins absolutely has a point.
I've gone through an embarassing number of fins.

I and my dive buddy here have ordered a total of four Starfins. They are all perfect in terms of size, and none show any of the common signs of falling apart that happened with my previous custom fins. But, as mullins points out, the fact that many of us have done well with Starfins is no guarantee.

To be specific - I've owned two other hyperfins. One was sized correctly, the other was so tight that it made my feet bleed. After 1/2 hour the pain was so intense I could no longer maintain proper form. Both these fins fell apart. We were able to repair them using a marine adhesive that seemed to hold up better than superglue. My fav of the two lasted about another year and then the blade snapped in half during pool training. My daughter had a fin come apart out in the middle of a small lake.

The Tropol footpockets are molded - all other hyperfins are hand made. In my experience the material the Tropol pockets are made from does not chaff like rubber - it gets sort of slimy when wet. I ordered the largest size they make - because I planned to use socks with it - but it was still excruciating so I devised an outside sock arrangement that works extremely well.

Good things about the Tropol

Durable
Comfortable
Excellent Blade
Consistent Sizing
Relatively inexpensive

The drawbacks of the Tropol M4 are that it is quite a heavy fin - and does not have the same organic feel as my Starfins. I have to qualify that by adding that my Tropol is really a sprint stiffness blade. Will Trubridge did not like my Tropol because of the heaviness - but he did like the blade. I like it, and usually forget I'm wearing it. Blade angle is around 20 degrees - which is pretty good (better than the 11 degrees of the Nemo). More blade angle optimizes thrust on the downstroke and enables glide with less arch/knee bending - I think it's more critical for dynamic that constant weight. I'd rate the Tropol and excellent recreational fin. The mass of it takes some getting used to - but also gives it nice authority.

Just to bust this thread up a little - heres me at the pool with my Tropol doing a 1.5 kick length.
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9KoLuNHuon0]YouTube - ‪glide.AVI‬‏[/ame]
 
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Nice Kick-and-Glide Chris. I like the look of the Tropol fin blade. I'm not sure why so many other fin builders trim the corners from the fin blade. That seems counterproductive to me.

You don't really see that trimmed look in nature and I suspect there is a reason for that. The possible exceptions I can think of are the Manatee and Beaver, neither of which are known for their swimming ability (and their tails are really more of an oval shape).
 
i guess the trimmed corners are because a full sharp corner can easely be broken than a trimmed one...but of course, i'm not so shure!
 

very good looking indeed...
but i've tried some monofin with that kind of pockets at lotta store in dahab and i find those pocket a little bit uncomfortable...
the ideea is that those pocket are for pure CWT big challenges, but not so very good for long time swiming or even seasighting...
 
I think the Tropol has the prettiest blade I've seen. Its a great training fin because of it's mass. Tropol claims a 15-19.5 degree angle - depending upon how you measure it. I would say that functionally it is the latter. It glides quite well. Only my newest Starfins, with the 29 degree angle, beats it for dynamic. I still like the Tropol for depth and long dives in cold water - because of it's stiff blade and warm, comfortable footpockets.

In this picture you can see the subtle inward curve of the blade edge - as well as the rounded corners and wave lamination pattern.

 
i couldn't agree more!!!
it is preety indeed!!!
 
Welljim,

Since you seem to be price limited, I thought I'd mention that I have a used DOL-Fin HP that I could sell for less than a Starfin ($450+shipping). I think with shipping it should be under $500 (US), but I'd need to check to be sure. It is not in perfect condition, but I think it's still a structurally sound monofin. The HP works well for sea-hiking and with depth also. I recently had this fin at 38 meters while sea-hiking on the southern Puerto Rico wall and was quite pleased with how it was working for me. The glide toward the bottom is really smooth and fast and it develops a lot of thrust for overcoming buoyancy effects.

If you are interested let me know and I can send you some photos so you can make a decision.

Ron
 
THAT is a steal.
Revan, you should post your pictures here. Liven this thread up with a little gratuitous fin-porn







 
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Hi,

I am jumping in on this thread. I am brand new here, and have read your posts with great interest. I am a rookie and very recreational freediver, and i am interested in trying a monofin. I will be diving in both cold and in tropical waters.

Most of the "brands" you have referred to above are custom made. Are there any monofins that are mass-produced, not too expensive, and possible to buy online? So far during my search i have only found two-three: the europalmus one from scubastore, as well as the finis rapid (and maybe the finis competition). Are these even worth considering as beginner fins? Are there any others out there?

Also, the sizing stated is normally sizes for a bare foot - so that you should make an allowance for socks?

Apols if i have asked questions that have been answered somewhere previously.

Thanks,
Runar
 
my advice is not to buy a cheap monofin
you will see that this piece of equipement will change your perception in freediving...so it is a long-time investment
i buyed for myself a mono from SPECIALFINS
those are hand-made and are not cheap [mine costed 400 euros some years ago]
but anything can hapen to the monofin for there are delicate pieces of equipement
and i tell you that my monofin footpockets broken one year ago and i wrote to SPECIALFINS what happened and they repaired my mono at no cost [the only cost was the shipement from roumania to lituania and was 20 euro]
in three weeks my monofin was in my possesion as good as new
i don't think that buying from a mass-produced store will give you the inner peace if your mono will broke some times...
so there are advantages and disadvantages...it's up to you what you choose
at some times you will want a good monofin and you will pay the money eventually, so why pay twice?]
 
Thanks for quick reply and useful advice Vali, I guess you are right. I contacted specialfins and got a quote which was around same price as finis competitor anyway, and most important, he could make and deliver before my summer holiday starts in end of july

He recommended Dolphin FRD (closed heel), hard stiffness with wings. Some of the guys in this thread over here recommend soft or medium fins for beginners though. Should i go for medium? What do the wings do? even if heel is closed, is it possible to squeeze 3mm socks inside?

Thanks again,
Runar
 
it looks to me the best entry-level monofins have to be the waterway's NEMO WING Monofin «Feediver Nemo Wing» and they are only 120 EUR. They are probably the most durable monofin and BEST value available.

I'm also looking into this as I'll start to do monofins soon. But I really wanted to start with mono after I do 70M CWT with my bifins.

I have WaterWay Nemo powerfins (bifins) that takes me to 65M in cwt and enjoy kicking on the way up feeling only slight lactic buildup on the last 15M.

So, i'm getting ready in my planning about the purchase of the monofin and am thinking about getting the NemoWing or the Glide...Now i know the Glide is about 310 EUR and with open heels and a 30degree angle on the blade to feet making it a superior fin that the Elite Professionals use. But then I consider HOW MUCH BETTER!? Bogdan, the maker of the fins tells me the the GLIDE should improve performance by 20% with same effort as you put into the bifins. But he didn't compare them to the Nemo Wing. I am leaning towards the Wing because i actually like the footpockets and know they will fit me, are a great value and are an overall quality monofin.

So this leads me to the final pondering ...how much better will the Wing monofin be to the power-bifins I have? Or perhaps, how much better would a top monofinner perform with the Glide compared to the NemoWing.

Unfortunately, I think the only way to really know is to have and use both and then determine.

I'd appreciate anyone's insight regarding what they think the of the NemoWing vs. the Glide or even what they think the performance increase would be from the bifins to the nemowings...if Bogdans assumution is correct that it will be 20% from the bifins to the Glide.

---------------

The only other monofin I have is the DOLfin Classic, which is a super comfortable and easy unit to dive with--given you've spent much time in the water to get its movement! The only thing i don't like is not feeling the push of the Dolfin's blade (hyrdofoil) through the water, ie feeling the propulsion. For me i really like to "feel" the water being displaced by my effort. On this note, Eric Fattah is now using the upgraded DOLfin: the Orca. And he is now only using this and also feels he's not pushing water but just "seems to move for no reason at all" on the ascent.
 

if you have strong legs, the medium stiffnes wil apear somehow soft [this is my case]
so if you have strong legs i advice to take the stiff blade...
in dinamic fins medium stiffnes can be good, but in CWT a stiff blade can do better
bottom line is that i'm happy with my monofin even i find tha blade a liitle to softy...
yas is posibla to bare 2,5 or 3mm neoprene soks...[i have 42 at foot and the mono is 42-44]
 
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If I were to be a potential buyer, al these posts different advices would only confuse me.

Advises ranges in type of product, manufactures, blades, footpockects, stiffness, from seemingly the one extreme to the other...
 
Hero - it's nearly impossible to compare monofins with bifins, because the technique and muscle groups used are different. It's heavily dependent on how good you are with each. I rate the Glides very highly but I haven't tried the One Wing. Only a MD1, which is miles behind.
 
vali said:
in dinamic fins medium stiffnes can be good, but in CWT a stiff blade can do better
Click to expand...

Heh... just to add some more confusion, I find a Glide #2 to be too stiff for deep CWT dives. I'm getting a #1. I'm not going slowly either :t
 
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